Sudbury's Health Sciences North reports that it has increased staffing and expanded hours of operation in response to an increased demand for COVID-19 testing in Sudbury.
"Demand for testing at HSN’s COVID-19 Assessment Centre has increased greatly in the last week with recent outbreaks declared at local schools in Sudbury," said a news release from the hospital Thursday afternoon.
"Usually HSN expects to receive roughly 280 requests per day for testing. This week there were almost 900 requests for Monday, alone. With this increase in demand, HSN is asking everyone to please be kind and patient with Assessment Centre staff when booking your appointment.
“They are doing everything they can to book people in as fast as possible, but wait times may be longer than usual," the release continued.
The statement added that HSN has stepped up its staffing and the hours of operation at the assessment centre to continue to book a majority of people for same and next day testing so that people can be booked in for testing as quickly as possible.
In order to speed up the process, HSN is asking city residents to use the online booking tool to book their appointment.
HSN said the online link is quick, convenient, easy to use, and also means you don’t have to sit on hold waiting to speak to someone on the telephone.
"Fill out the online form with the necessary information and once you submit it, staff with HSN’s assessment centre staff will be notified and will call you as soon as possible book your test. This form works great for same and next day appointments and is also helpful to use when you need to book an appointment several days in advance as you can specify when you need to be tested. You will know the form has been submitted successfully when you receive your confirmation number," said the HSN statement.
If you don’t have access to a smart phone or a computer, HSN said you can also telephone 705-671-7373 to book an appointment.
"Please don’t call the assessment centre looking for general information on COVID-19, testing protocols in schools, or for general public health information. School boards have excellent resources for parents and families. Public Health has great online resources for COVID-19 questions," said the HSN statement.
The hospital has also requested Sudbury residents not to duplicate their booking efforts.
"There is no need to call if you’ve already sent in an online form, and vice versa. Duplication can slow down assessment centre staff in responding to calls and booking appointments," said HSN.
"We know these are difficult and stressful times, but we are all in this together. Please be patient and kind with our staff. We know getting booked for an appointment is important to you. It’s also very important for us. The staff with HSN’s Assessment Centre are working extremely hard to book you in as fast as possible."
